No. 1/SN No. 1 Buford will meet No. 3/SN No. 2 Carrollton Tuesday night to decide Georgia's GHSA Class 6A state championship
The Sporting News High School Football Game of the Week: No. 1/SN No. 1 Buford [GA] vs. No. 3/SN No. 2 Carrollton [GA] originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
In early November, the top-ranked IMG Academy [Bradenton, FL] Ascenders appeared to be on a crash course to face a St. Frances Academy [Baltimore, MD] Panthers team that was likely to be ranked No. 2 (and, currently, is No. 2 in The Sporting News Composite Rankingsthat will be released Wednesday).
Instead, roughly six weeks later, the nation's two top-ranked teams in The Sporting News High School Football Top 25 both hail from Georgia as the No. 1/SN No. 1 Buford [GA] Wolves will face the No. 3/SN No. 2 Carrollton [GA] Trojans Tuesday night for Georgia's GHSA Class 6A state championship.
It's a game that could also decide the national championship, a decision that will be announced here at The Sporting News on Friday, December 19.
Both Buford and Carrollton have beaten all challengers to date in 2025, a streak that will end for one of them in Tuesday's championship contest. Buford is the favorite via the rankings with Carrollton making a fast climb into contention over the past month, including a 34-14 takedown of the previous No. 1 Grayson [Loganville, GA] Rams on November 28.
They have one shared opponent – the stout eleven from the Douglas County [Douglasville, GA] Tigers, a team that Buford actually faced twice. The Wolves beat the Tigers, 34-26, way back on September 12, and then beat them again, 30-15, in the Class 6A quarterfinals on November 28.
For comparison, Buford's two relatively close games against Douglas County contrast with Carrollton's thorough 55-22 victory against the Tigers on October 31. Those outcomes suggest that Carrollton might only be the underdogs in the rankings; on paper, they appear more than capable of holding their own against top-ranked Buford.
But that's why they settle these games on the field and not on computer screens. We expect a tight game Tuesday night with both sides having a chance to win it if they play the brand of football they play best.
MORE NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
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- The latest Sporting News High School Football Top 25 — National Week 18: December 16
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- The Sporting News High School Preseason All-American Defense 2025
No. 1/SN No. 1 Buford [GA] Wolves vs. No. 3/SN No. 2 Carrollton [GA] Trojans
LAST WEEK'S GAME OF THE WEEK No. 10/SN No. 6 Allen [TX] Eagles vs. No. 22/SN No. 25 North Crowley [Fort Worth, TX]. Panthers
Tuesday, December 16, 2025
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia | 8 p.m. EST local
Local Media Coverage: Atlanta Journal-Constitution High School Sports
School Athletics Websites: Buford Wolves Athletics | Carrollton Trojans Athletics @Carrollton_High
School Social Media: Buford Wolves Athletics @bufordathletics | Carrollton Trojans Athletics @Carrollton_High
PREVIEW
Both teams enter the game with 14-0 records, and the game will be a contrast of styles to some degree. Carrollton throws the ball slightly more than they run it while Buford tips heavily to the run with 416 rushing plays to just 246 pass attempts
Top senior Buford recruits
DL Bryce Perry-Wright (6-2, 250 lbs., Texas A&M); EDGE Dre Quinn (6-4, 228 lbs., Ohio State); ATH Tyriq Green (Georgia); IOL Graham Houston (6-5, 305 lbs., Georgia); S Nascar McCoy (6-2, 180 lbs., Ole Miss); OT Ben Mubenga (6-5, 290 lbs., Arkansas Razorbacks); TE Dream Rashad (North Carolina); RB Dylan McCoy (NC State); QB Dayton Raiola (uncommitted); S Jax Pope (uncommitted)
Top senior Carrollton recruits
CB Dorian Barney (Ole Miss); WR Ryan Mosley (Georgia); IOL Zykie Helton (6-2, 290 lbs., Georgia); LB CJ Gamble (Georgia Tech); RB Kimauri Farmer (Liberty); WR Peyton Zachary (UNLV); LB Kadan Spratling (Memphis); QB Mason Holtzclaw (uncommitted); DL DA Logan (Georgia Southern)
When Buford has the ball
Senior quarterback Dayton Raiola has thrown for 2,064 yards and 26 touchdowns with just 4 interceptions, but the Wolves are far more likely to focus on establishing the run game. They have two senior running backs with more than 100 carries on the season with Dylan McCoy doing the most damage with 950 yards on 126 carries for 9 touchdowns. Tyriq Green has chipped in with 526 yards on 105 carries, and he actually has more touchdowns than McCoy with 11.
When they do throw the ball, they've got one receiver who has twice as many catches as anybody else on the team in senior Torre Costin. His 35 grabs set the pace for the Wolves' receiver corps, and he's converted that into 640 yards and 9 touchdowns.
When Carrollton has the ball ...
Carrollton has used two quarterbacks in all 14 games with Mason Holtzclaw providing the steady leadership of a senior while freshman CJ Cypher gives them a dynamic playmaker who has actually taken more snaps at quarterback. Cypher has passed for 2,178 yards with 26 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions while Holtzclaw has 1,212 yards with 7 touchdowns and a single pick.
Five Trojan receivers have at least 22 receptions led by the dynamic duo of senior Peyton Zachary (83 rec.–1,064 yards, 12 TDs) and Ryan Mosley (51 rec.–901 yards, 8 TDs). Senior Cameron Wood mostly handles the rushing chores with 174 carries for 1,473 yards and 33 touchdowns.
PREDICTION
It feels like a coin flip, but some of the metrics actually favor Carrollton in what we expect will be a close game throughout. It feels like a game where one major mistake or turnover could end up being the difference, and if that comes late in the game, it could lead to a dramatic ending. The closer we get to kickoff, the more we actually lean toward Carrollton winning a close one as they've looked like the stronger team down the stretch, thanks in part to that stunning takedown of Grayson.
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